TRANS-JORDAN: Chess Player & Friend

Shrewd little King Abdullah of
Trans-Jordan likes to shoot and hunt, compose delicate Arabic poetry,
recite from the Koran, and play chess. He also aspires to enlarge his
kingdom. Last week, fingering a set of exquisitely carved chess pieces
in his winter palace at Shouneh, a few miles east of the River Jordan,
he told a TIME correspondent: "Politics is like chess: you cannot rush
your pawns across enemy territory, but must seek favorable openings."

Might & Rights. But those who have played chess with him know that
Abdullah, who plays well, likes...